PSA: The Sister Study

As many of you know, my sister Ms. V. died of cancer in 2002, four years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. So Virgo Sis and I are enrolled in The Sister Study, a massive, long-term epidemiological study of the genetic and environmental risk factors for breast cancer, sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The study has one more year to reach their goal of 50,000 participants. They currently have just over 35,000 enrolled. You can become a part of The Sister Study if you meet the following qualifcations:

• Your sister, related to you by blood, had breast cancer.
• You are between the ages of 35 and 74.
• You have never had breast cancer yourself.
• You are a woman living in the U.S. or Puerto Rico.

If you don't meet these qualifications and can't join the study, you can still help by spreading the word across the blogosphere. The Sister Study investigators would especially like to encourage under-represented women to join the study: women over 65, African-American women, Latinas, and Asian-American women. Let your readers know! Don't forget to link to The Sister Study home page. Interested women can also get information by calling 1-877-4SISTER or e-mailing info@sisterstudy.org.